A product manager who has worked for ten years told me that today I finally replaced my laptop that I had used for many years and used a new computer, which is really cool!
In fact, it is long overdue to replace, the tools used every day, are the guys who eat many people, must be used well, efficiency can be raised, every click of the keyboard, every movement of the mouse, is the process of their own productivity output, this process, becomes efficient and pleasant, and the mood of the work process will also improve.
This is a simple truth, just as product managers know that the needs of “high frequency, rigid demand, and pain points” are the highest priority.
Logitech’s mouse and keyboard have been used for many years, and this time I am honored to become the first smart master of the Logitech Master series, and the product concept of “simplifying the complex” conveyed by this competition is really worthy of product managers on the road to making products.
In the past 20 years, the role of product manager has continued to evolve for 20 years, I have been fortunate to experience the PC Internet, mobile Internet, industrial Internet, and now enter the era of artificial intelligence.
1. From complex to simple: the evolution of product manager career development
In the era of PC Internet, we are excited about “being able to connect” and applauding “being able to use”.
The three major Internet giants, BAT, Baidu is the connection of information, Alibaba is the connection of goods, and Tencent is the connection of people.
“Can be used” is used by people, because in the early Internet, the core competitiveness of the product did not lie in how good the experience was, but in “whether it can be used”.
At that time, the Internet speed was slow, the technology was immature, and users’ requirements for interaction design and interface aesthetics were almost zero.
The challenge at that time was how to provide an orderly flow of use from clutter.
For example, in the early stage of QQ show products, users need to match the whole set of clothing with single products, and there is a certain operating threshold.
Later, the core function of “complete set” redressing was launched, which greatly reduced the cost of redressing users and was a typical product design of “from complex to simple”.
The most common product design is called “one-click to done”…… For example, QQ shows one-click dress-up, one-click decompression software, and one-click mobile phone login. The essence of one-click operation design is: shortest operation path + no technical sensitivity + minimal decision-making.
In the era of mobile InternetThe screen becomes smaller, the scene becomes fragmented, and users operate mobile phone products during the mobile process, and patience and attention become scarce.
atYY voiceIn the project, we have reconstructed the main interface into a huge “watch live broadcast” button, just to allow users to click in in one second and go directly to the content – this is the ultimate pursuit of “simplicity” in the era when efficiency is king. Of course, this simple and crude design is really abrupt visually, but looking at the data, there is not much drop, but it can bring more click conversions, so it expands from a small range of grayscale to a full range of products.
And enter the stage of industrial InternetMainly facing the problem of reducing costs and increasing efficiency of enterprises, the implementation path is usually: informatization – digitalization – intelligence, product managers to solve the problems of system fragmentation, lengthy processes, and inefficient collaboration.
In the practice of Meisha Smart Campus, we promote system integration, integrating teacher version, parent version, student version, and multiple versions of the APP. Unified account system, students from kindergarten to high school, on-campus classes to outdoor activities, recorded in a unified student file; Teaching scheduling, attendance, and home-school communication functions are used as function center modules, and users choose to configure them by themselves, and a large number of underlying integrations are made behind them, and what users see is a unified entrance and smooth experience.
The tool itself is the carrier of “simplifying the complex”, just like the Easy-Switch function of the MX Master 3S mouse of the Logitech Master series, which realizes seamless switching between three devices, and we solve the problem of multi-terminal fragmentation through a unified account system – good design requires both top-level architectural thinking and smooth interaction at the physical level, just as users in the PC era cheer for “one-click to do it”, now product people need to pay more attention to: how to make the tool an “invisible pusher” to simplify the process.
Each stage of evolution is actually an exercise in “simplifying the complex” – the higher the level of product people, the more they understand the power of “less is more”.
2. Challenges in the AI era: the “second evolution” of product managers
Artificial intelligence is coming. Product managers are no longer just about functional design and process optimization, but about the transformation of their roles. At present, the impact of AI on the R&D department is most obvious for designers and programmers.
1. The threshold for technical understanding has been greatly raised
You don’t necessarily have to write code, but you must understand concepts such as how large models work, prompt engineering, and RAG retrieval. Product managers are no longer “requirements movers” but planners of intelligent systems.
2. Career paths are no longer single-line development
In the AI era, there are three differentiation trends:
- Technology-driven: Understand algorithm logic and be able to talk to AI engineers;
- Business strategy: Capture the opportunities for business model restructuring brought by AI;
- System architecture: Create a platform-based ecology and intelligent collaboration system.
3. Transform from a tool operator to a “collaborative designer”
In the past, a search function was designed as “input + result”;
Now you may be designing an AI assistant system that can “understand your intentions and help you generate answers”.
4. Creativity is the core competitiveness, and concentration is a scarce resource
In the era of intelligent spillover,Whoever can sift out the value from the “information overload”, maintain deep focus, and output insightful product design is irreplaceable.
Intelligent AI assistants are designed to understand and predict user intentions, and the physical interaction layer also needs to evolve synchronously. MX Mechanical keyboardFN keyPreset volume control, automatic light adjustment from the MX Brio camera are essentially examples of “no inductive technology”. Just like we require AI systems to actively adapt to the scene, the Logitech Master series allows hardware to think before users through technologies such as inductive backlight and automatic adaptation – this is a metaphor for product design in the AI era: true intelligence is to make complexity disappear invisibly.
3. Future planning: Cultivate internal and external skills with “simplifying complexity” as the core
1. Internal strength: Build a new product force structure in the AI era
- Technical understanding: Not only to talk to engineers, but also to accurately define “what AI can do and what people should do”.
- Data thinking: Data is no longer a result, but a material that allows AI systems to “learn better”.
- Ethical judgment: AI is a power and a responsibility, and product people must have underlying judgment.
2. External skills: make good use of powerful tools to make yourself more like a “system engineer”
Tools are no longer the icing on the cake, but amplifiers of your “cognitive efficiency”.
Take myself as an example, I have used it deeply in my work in the past two yearsLogitech Master Series products, they are highly consistent with my cultivation ideas as a product person in terms of the design philosophy of “simplifying the complex”.
When building new product power in the AI era, tool selection itself is a declaration of cognitive efficiency. The MX Master 3S mouse’s 8-button customization system perfectly illustrates “less is more”: by solidifying high-frequency operations such as screenshots and page switches into muscle memory actions, product managers can shift their attention from the operational layer to the value layer. This echoes Logi Options+’s minimalist control interface—a good toolchain should be like a neural network, converging complex functions into intuitive touchpoints.
4. Practical combat: How the Logitech Master Series empowers product managers
1. MX Master 3S Mouse
In addition, I usually have many programs and browser pages open, and I often need to switch between them, the left scroll wheel is switched to definition. Global settings switcher, Google Chrome toggle page tabs, is very convenient for people who often check information and open multiple windows.
Look at the effect and see if the browser tab switches smoothly with the horizontal wheel keys:
- The mouse wheel rolls a thousand lines:Quickly flip through long positioning documents
Work use detail case
I am currently preparing a course on how product managers use AI to improve work efficiency, using perplexity.ai tools to search for information and AI conversations to get more information.
Here is the PPT editing interface of WPS:
Here’s the browser’s interface:
The steps to follow the usual procedures are:
- Minimize WPS,
- Open the browser, browse the page,
- Take a screenshot with a keyboard shortcut and keep it on the clipboard
- Browser minimization
- Open WPS and locate the PPT page
- Right-click the menu, paste
Using the mouse shortcut key settings, the efficiency of this process is greatly improved, and the above operations only need to be completed on the mouse.
Let’s take a look at my mouse shortcut settings first, as shown in the figure below,
The forward button on the left side of the mouse is set to the shortcut key for the screenshot [keyboard shortcut Cmd + ^Ctrl + K], and the back button on the left is set to open the [Launchpad].
Once set, the steps are simplified to:
- Press the back button to open the [Launchpad] and select the browser;
- Press the forward button, take a screenshot,
- Press the back button to return to WPS
- Press the right-click menu to paste.
Discuss the communication efficiency of product prototypes
For example, this is a prototype of Figma, when I need to discuss with the designer, while using Figma, while using Enterprise WeChat, screenshot, annotation, sending, modification…… Switching back and forth and using the mouse to quickly define can greatly improve communication efficiency.
2.MX Mechanical keyboard
An easy-to-use mechanical keyboard is definitely not only an “input tool” for people who write documents, code, and prototypes for a long time, but also a flow entrance.
Below is my office equipment, Mac notebook with Logitech Master series.
A programmer friend said it wonderfully:“A good keyboard will make writing programs feel like playing the piano.”
Logitech Master Series MX Mechanical keyboards, is such a tool to get people into the state.
It does not emphasize lighting, sound or personality like some mechanical keyboards, but uses a mature and restrained design language that makes you “forget its existence” as soon as you get started, leaving only the content and the creation itself.
True system integration should have zero learning costs. The blue axis design of the keyboard balances the need for touch and silence, and product managers must also learn to find the golden balance between algorithm accuracy and user experience when practicing data thinking.
- Balance of mechanical feel and low key travel: Taking into account the comfort of tapping feedback and long-term input;
- Support Bluetooth withBoltWireless dual connectivity: One-click switching of multiple devices, the desktop is clean and smooth;
- Does not depend on the driver’s FN key settings: For example, directly set the volume adjustment and playback control as default, without installing additional software at all;
- Inductive backlight: It is bright when you are close to the palm of your hand, energy-saving and practical; The process of use is full of ritual and provides full emotional value. It is different from the colorful and complicated RGB lighting on the market, making work more focused.
- Keycaps & Switches:I chose the blue switch, the impact is crisp and comfortable, the touch rebound is high, and cleaning the dust is so simple, so that keyboard maintenance can keep up with the complexity.
Minimalist color scheme and compact arrangement: No unnecessary visual distractions, clean, focused, and efficient.
- cooperateLogi Options+ software,Convenient shortcut settings for the keyboard:
- The highest frequency shortcut: one-click back to the desktop/Quick copy/screenshot/and formulaic processing
I set the default calculator button to return to the desktop launchpad, making it easy to switch between different programs and interfaces. With the MX Master 3S mouse, I can quickly recall my personal configuration while making courseware, materials, and reports.
3.MX Brio 4K HD Camera: Clear communication and professionalism
Video conferencing has become an integral part of modern work, andA good camera, is no longer as simple as “seeing clearly”.
Especially for remote workers, content creators, and lecturers, how to quickly enter a professional state without being interrupted by equipment is particularly important.
MX Brio This 4K high-definition camera is another Logitech concept of “simplifying complexity”Exquisite expression。
(1) Automatically adapts to ambient light, no need to manually adjust
Whether you’re by a window, indoors, in the evening, or backlit, MX Brio quickly and automatically optimizes images with light sensing, so your skin tones are naturally not exposed.
- You don’t need to adjust the exposure, you don’t need to install lights——
Turn on the camera and you are the clearest and most natural person in front of the camera.
(2) One-click switching of the lens perspective, simple and intuitive
Three viewing angles (65°, 78°, 90°) can be easily switched through Logi Options+ software to meet different meetings, presentations, and presentation scenarios.
- No need for complex post-production software, the camera comes with professional-level framing adaptation.
(3) Built-in dual microphone noise reduction, eliminating external dependence
In the absence of a separate microphone, its built-in dual-microphone system is clear enough to pick up sound and isolate noise.
- For an ordinary professional, it means bringing one less device and being more calm.
(4) USB-C plug and play, eliminating drivers and settings
Whether it’s Mac or Windows, you don’t need to install any plug-ins, just plug it in and go.
- True “zero learning cost” devices greatly reduce the barrier to use, especially for non-technical users.
(5) Logi Options+ one-stop control software
Adjustable image tone, brightness, contrast, viewing angle, the interface is minimalist, not interfering, not verbose.
When I record training sessions, do remote reviews, and participate in online podcasts, it has become my “lens partner”.
5. Conclusion: Simplifying the complex is the belief and way out of product managers in the AI era
Artificial intelligence does not make product people useless, but makes product managers who can “use AI, subtract, and build systems” more scarce.
We are standing on a threshold from “tool operation” to “system scheduling”.
Choosing a simplified way of working is to choose a more relaxed career rhythm.
The product is not about doing more, but doing it right;
Skills are not fancy, but practical;
And a really good tool won’t do everything for you, it just makes you less distracted and more focused.
If you are also a peer who continues to polish product strength in the AI era, welcome to share your own “nirvana moment” and become the type of product person who can cross the wave of technology together.
The following is the event poster of the 2025 Logitech Master Series Smart “Simplicity” Competition, welcomeScan the QR code in the pictureLet’s share your story of simplifying “complexity” at work, and have a chance to win a Logitech Master series of products worth 3,897 yuan.
This article is from the WeChat public account: BLUES, author: Lan Jun
